In this story, once Moses was coming down a mountain, and as he was coming down he saw a shepherd. Moses came into this world to teach the souls that our only aim in life is to attain God. So he saw a shepherd with his staff and blanket beside him laid on the ground, and with his head bent he was saying something.
So whatever the shepherd was doing, it aroused the curiosity of Moses. So he went up to him and he stood behind him to listen to what the shepherd was saying. And he was saying, “Oh my Lord, I want to meet you. I wonder what you do for a living? Maybe you herd sheep, cows, and buffaloes. I can only imagine how tired you must get. Please let me massage your feet. You must have lice in your clothes. Let me pick them out for you from your clothes. If you are hungry, I can go to the jungle and bring you some honey. Your feet must be so tired. Please let me massage them. Why don't you take a break from your work? I will make a bed of flowers for you so you can have a break.”
When Moses heard what the shepherd was saying he was furious. He was angry. And he asked the shepherd, “Who are you talking to?”
So the shepherd said, “I'm talking to God.”
And Moses said, “You foo! Do you think that God could ever get lice in His clothes? You have insulted Him by saying so, asking Him that.”
So the shepherd became apologetic. And very humbly he said, “Sir, I have erred. Yes. I did not realize I was committing such a sin. Please tell me how I can atone for such a sin that I've committed.”
So Moses said, “There's no atonement for this sin that you have committed. You have insulted Allah.”
So hearing these words from Moses, the shepherd was distraught, crying bitterly. He walked away from there, forgetting his staff and his blanket and begging God for forgiveness. So in the meantime, a thundering voice came from above and it said, “Oh, Moses, it is not the shepherd that has committed the sin. In fact, it is you who has offended me by hurting the pure devotional feelings of My dear devotee. Go to him and beg him for forgiveness!”
“Beg him for forgiveness.” So this kind of innocence we have to bring within us. Going to a temple or any other place of worship and speaking and uttering fancy words, whether it's in Latin or in Sanskrit or in Hindi, is not going to earn us anything. No, that's not going to work because the kingdom of God is not in words, nor can we do anything. Can we fool God with our words? Absolutely not.
So we have to concern ourselves with shedding tears and speaking from our heart. Imbibe the innocence of the shepherd. And in due course, the Lord, Shri Krishna, will hear.
He will respond to our tears. He will respond.
